Races
The Races that live in the Blessed Isles are not a lot, actually. The hundreds of races that are scattered across the world usually came in from the Dragon Gate thousands of years ago, and are more or less concentrated around the Dragon Mountains. The one intelligent race native to the planet are the humans, the rest came via gate travel. Like in any campaign setting, the races of Europa are divided into Dominate Races, Major Races, and Minor Races. As in my other wikis, dominate races are those that dominate the landscape form different nations and cultures over time. Major races are those races that form their own nation but are too small to form a kingdom of their own. Minor races, lastly, are those that have populations too small to form their own nations. Dominate Races Humans Compared to the Near Human, Inhuman, and Unhuman races, who tend to get along with each other of their own race in a reasonable fashion (with the exception of the Massalian Elves). The humans, or Men, of Europae is divided into numerous competing nations, states, sects, religions, creeds, bandit kingdoms, and tribes. Humans will argue the point over almost anything, fight about most things they argue about, and hold dear amongst their many deities and religious traditions. Quite a few of which do actively encourage that type of behavior. They, the humans, are renowned for their diversity and ambition. Although they lack specialization, they can excel in many areas. Elves Considered to be near human, elves are usually found in small nations throughout the forests of Europe as well as windswept plains and mountain vales. The elves, as a whole, prefer these secluded places of nature to the cities and nations of the civilized world, living in harmony with their natural surroundings. Cautious and cunning warriors, particularly of the bow, elves secure these homelands through guile and tactics. Their purpose is to recreate their homeland of Arvandor. Major Races Major races include Dwarves, Halflings, Dragonborn, Half Elves, Half Orcs ''and ''Gnomes. Dwarves Dwarves, sometimes called the Stout Folk, are a natural humanoid race common throughout parts of Europa, they are considered to be dour by most. Dwarves are a tough, tradition-abiding folk known for their strong martial traditions and beautiful craftsmanship. Dragonborn The Dragonborn are a race of draconic creatures native to the planet Dracos. The Dragonborn came through the Dragon Gate thousands of years ago, and some migrated across Europae. The Dragonborn are a proud race steeped in history and tradition. Halflings The halfling race has had many traditional homelands, though as a whole the race is typically nomadic. Many halflings who do not wander live primarily within human-dominated states. Half Elves Half-elves, as usually defined, are humanoids born through the union of an elf and a human. Whether a half-elf is raised by their human parent or their elven parent, they feel isolated and alone. Because they take around twenty years to reach adulthood, they mature quickly when raised by elves (who think they look like humans), making them feel like an outsider in either place. Half-Orcs Half-orcs are humanoids born of both human and orc ancestry by a multitude of means. Combining the physical power of their orcish ancestors with the agility of their humans ones, half-orcs can be formidable individuals. Though often shunned in both human and orcish society, though for different reasons, half-orcs have proven themselves from time to time as worthy heroes and dangerous villains. Their existence implies an interesting back story that most would not like to dwell on. Gnomes Gnomes, or the Forgotten Folk as they are sometimes known, are small fey humanoids known for their eccentric sense of humor, inquisitiveness and engineering prowess. Having had few overt influences on the world’s history but many small and unseen ones, gnomes are often overlooked by the powers that be despite their craftiness and affinity for illusion magic. Minor Races Minor Races include Tieflings. They also include the Ratfolk, ''the Garou, the Catfolk, and finally ''kobolds. Tiefling Simultaneously more and less than mortal, tieflings are the offspring of humans and fiends. With otherworldly blood and traits to match, tieflings are often shunned and despised out of reactionary fear. Most tieflings never know their fiendish sire, as the coupling that produced their curse occurred generations earlier. The taint is long-lasting and persistent, often manifesting at birth or sometimes later in life, as a powerful, though often unwanted, boon. Despite their fiendish appearance and netherworld origins, tieflings have a human's capacity of choosing their fate, and while many embrace their dark heritage and side with fiendish powers, others reject their darker predilections. Though the power of their blood calls nearly every tiefling to fury, destruction, and wrath, even the spawn of a succubus can become a saint and the grandchild of a pit fiend an unsuspecting hero. Ratfolk Ratfolk are small, rodentlike humanoids; originally native to subterranean areas in dry deserts and plains, they are now more often found in nomadic trading caravans. Much like the pack rats they resemble, ratfolk are tinkerers and hoarders by nature, and as a whole are masters of commerce, especially when it comes to acquiring and repairing mechanical or magical devices. Though some are shrewd merchants who carefully navigate the shifting alliances of black markets and bazaars, many ratfolk love their stockpiles of interesting items far more than money, and would rather trade for more such prizes to add to their hoards over mere coins. It's common to see a successful crew of ratfolk traders rolling out of town with an even larger bundle than they entered with, the whole mess piled precariously high on a cart drawn by giant rats. Garou Garou are wolfmen, rare they are sometimes seen in Caithness. They are oft times responsible for werewolf legends and so forth. While not inherently violent, they are sometimes seen as such. And are capable of violence when defending themselves. Category:Player's Guide Category:Races